


The Power of Friends and Puppy Dog Eyes

by completelyhopeless



Series: If It's Not Happy, It's Not the End [10]
Category: Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-04
Updated: 2015-03-04
Packaged: 2018-03-16 06:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3477794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/completelyhopeless/pseuds/completelyhopeless
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dick comes home from school with important news and Bruce gets manipulated, but he doesn't mind.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Power of Friends and Puppy Dog Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> So I wrote a part in my Young Justice series where Dick gets Batman to give him a piggyback ride, and I wanted to do another. I actually thought of doing a whole series of them, but I didn't go that crazy.
> 
> There does need to be one where Robin gets the ride from Batman, though.

* * *

“Bruce!”

He turned around to see a small bundle of energy headed right for him. Bracing himself, he let Dick slam into his legs and wrap his arms around them. He looked down, afraid he was going to have another long night of consolation in front of him. He didn't know what he was doing there, and the temptation to end everyone's suffering by bringing Dick home for school was getting greater by the day. He knelt down next to the boy and prepared himself for tears.

“You'll never guess what happened, Bruce!”

Frowning, Bruce looked up over Dick's head to Alfred. The older man shrugged. “He was fidgeting the whole way home, but he insisted, despite his obvious excitement, on telling us both at the same time.”

“Oh?”

“I didn't think you'd be here yet,” Dick said, his face bright and full of a smile that shouldn't have been possible and Bruce had figured they might never see if they kept Dick in school. “Guess what?”

“I have no idea,” Bruce said, to which Alfred snorted. Bruce shrugged. Let Dick have his moment. He had a feeling that he might know, but he'd have to wait and see.

“Yes, you do,” Dick muttered, rolling his eyes. Then he shrugged. “Fine, I'll tell you anyway. I made a friend!”

“I knew you would.”

Dick rolled his eyes. “No, you didn't. You thought you'd have to homeschool me.”

Bruce blinked. Sometimes the boy's perception surprised him. Rather than admit that or try to lie, he said, “Tell me about your friend.”

“Her name is Barbara, but she said I could call her Babs and _she_ didn't think my stories about Zitka were stupid—she wants to meet her—and she doesn't care that I grew up in the circus or that I'm short or that I'm younger than the other kids and they skipped me up grades—she's smart, too, maybe smarter than I am—no, she _is_ smarter than I am—and she was ready to beat up Randy McNulty who is such a bully and—”

“I suggest, Master Richard, that you slow down and breathe,” Alfred said. “Your enthusiasm for your new companion is admirable, but you have plenty of time to tell us about her.”

“I know,” Dick said. “It's just—Bruce, you remember how you said I could go visit Zitka this weekend?”

“Yes,” Bruce answered slowly, knowing where this was heading.

“Can I bring Babs with me? Please?” Dick asked, turning those puppy dog eyes that should qualify as a weapon on Bruce and even Alfred for good measure. “Pretty please?”

“With a cherry on top?”

“Yep,” Dick agreed. “Alfred, can I borrow a cherry?”

“Of course.”

Bruce shook his head at both of them, and Dick's smile started to fall. Bruce put his hand on the boy's shoulder. “Yes. You can take Barbara with you if her parents agree to let her come. They might not, though, so you should be prepared for that.”

“Whose parents would keep them from seeing an elephant?” Dick asked with a frown. “No one would do that, would they?”

“I don't know,” Bruce admitted, thinking it rather unlikely for most parents. He'd been thinking of the darker implications—that someone might not want their daughter alone with Bruce and Dick, especially with the rumors flying in the papers. “If you want, I'll talk to them for you.”

“You're the best,” Dick said, throwing his arms around him again, this time around Bruce's back. “Will you carry me inside? I'm tired.”

“Something managed to run _you_ out of energy?”

“I have a friend,” Dick said, snuggling into Bruce's back and leaving him almost no choice but to put his arms under the boy and carry him into the house. Alfred followed behind them with a very pleased, almost _smug_ smile.

**Author's Note:**

> I've edited this to add it in to my Young Justice series. Sorry if that caused confusion.


End file.
